The Second Hand of Time (Episode)
The Second Hand of Time is the name of the 23rd episode of the D.N.Angel anime. It's not to be mistaken with the artwork that goes by the same name. Freedert reveals her true story to Daisuke, comforting his desire to help her. Meanwhile, the Niwa family, Dark and Satoshi search for the key to bringing the Ice and Dark tale to an end. Summary The morning after Riku Harada, her sister, and Dark left Daisuke behind in the world of the painting, she awakens in her bed with a startle. Risa rushes into her room to tell her about her missing ribbon. They discuss the events of the previous night and conclude that it wasn’t a dream. In the Niwa home, Emiko questions Dark about Daisuke’s location. He explains that he cannot contact his tamer nor can he re-enter the painting to find him. Towa reaches towards the painting, saying there’s a faint response coming from it, but Dark shouts at her to stay away. He reveals that his arm, which had been covered by a white sheet, is oozing black mist. The Niwa parents examine the pitch black canvas that once was Daisuke’s painting when Kosuke has a revelation. Satoshi Hiwatari stands in front of the Second Hand of Time. He cannot feel any magic power from it and wonders if the artwork possessed Daisuke’s painting. He remembers Commissioner Hiwatari’s words about the dangerous magic within the Hikari artworks and the reasons that they were sealed away. A giant canvas covered in torn fabric and chains flashes in his mind. Hiwatari continues, mentioning the Second Hand of Time, which was intended to be destroyed but spared because the Hikari could not bear to do it. Satoshi glares ahead, wondering if he must endure the Hikari curse alone and concludes that Daisuke cannot save the Second Hand of Time. A blonde woman speaks to a sleeping Daisuke, saying she has faith in him. He awakens under a clear blue sky to the sounds of birds chirping. The woman introduces herself as Freedert and welcomes him to the lush green landscape, which is her world. On the bridge they discuss the other girl whom Daisuke knew as Freedert: the Second Hand of Time. Freedert says they are the same but not. The world and the village that they are in will vanish soon as the artwork is dying. Daisuke’s ability to draw and give life to his art can sustain the world a little longer. Kosuke pushes a book on the table, Ice and Dark. This edition holds the true story of Freedert and Elliot’s tragic lives, which was burned due to the descriptions of artworks with magic powers. Daisuke and Freedert discuss the same thing: Freedert had two childhood friends, Elliot and Kyle. As Freedert and Elliot fell in love, Kyle became more jealous. When Elliot was sent off to war, Freedert gave him a sword as a good luck charm. Elliot asked his close friend Kyle to look after her while he was gone, but Kyle’s unrequited love for Freedert led him to make an evil wish upon the village’s guardian artwork, the Second Hand of Time. Kyle wished for Elliot’s time to stop so he could have Freedert, and the latter man was shot in the back on the battlefield by a black arrow, which was said to be in the shape of the second hand of a clock. Freedert, upon hearing the news, begged the Second Hand of Time to give her time to Elliot, much to Kyle’s dismay. When Elliot returned home from the war, he found Freedert’s tombstone. In front of the Second Hand of Time, he killed himself with the sword that Freedert had given him. The sword shone with a blazing light after he died. Dark is angered by the story of such extreme love and hate. Kosuke continues, saying the book claims to be a true story written by Kyle Endoyle. As a result of his evil wish, the man’s time was put under the control of the Second Hand of Time and he was only permitted to die when he repented and wrote the book to warn future generations. Elliot’s sword was called the Wedge of Time, another artwork by the Hikari that has been missing since its first owners’ deaths. Emiko and Daiki resolve to find the sword using their phantom thief abilities. Daisuke is stunned; this isn’t the same as the Ice and Snow story that he knows. The Second Hand of Time appears in Freedert’s place, admitting that it was a mistake to grant Freedert’s wish because she could only freeze her time and thus became one being with her. However, this saved Freedert from death and saved the Second Hand of Time from the Hikari. At this, Daisuke learns of the family of artists for the first time. The girl says that Freedert’s strong feelings were enough to move the Hikaris’ hearts and spare her from destruction. The world shifts again into a field of flowers. Freedert expresses her wish to see Elliot again because his soul is still alive and he is looking for her. Daisuke wishes he could do something but he cannot stay in this world forever when Riku is waiting for him. Freedert correctly guesses that Riku is important to Daisuke and asks another favor instead: to extend the world’s life with his power through drawing pictures. In the Harada home, Risa suggests asking Dark for help to save Daisuke. Riku cannot bring herself to trust in Dark because he is a phantom thief, but Risa insists. Risa suggests that Daisuke and Dark have the same brilliance in their eyes, which causes her sister to remember the kiss with Dark and her times with Daisuke. Riku is distressed by these thoughts and goes to school to wait for Daisuke. Satoshi enters an old room and approaches Elliot’s sword, which struggles against chains. Krad appears behind him, taunting him for his new desire to save Daisuke and become attached to something. When Satoshi orders him to shut up and insists that he is not the same as Krad, the angel laughs and fades away. Satoshi places his paintbrushes on a table, and wonders to himself if not all the artworks created by the Hikari are filled with ill intentions. He admits that when he looks at Niwa, he believes so. Daisuke sits under a tree and draws. Freedert is concerned for his health and notes that he has already grown pale. Remembering the time that he drew with Riku, Daisuke’s mind begins to wander and Freedert’s worry grows. The flowers are changing into snow. Takeshi shouts at the classroom that he cannot practice for the play without the two lead characters. He begins re-assigning roles and the class rebels against him. Riku and Risa share a look and both agree that it is time to find Daisuke. In the Niwa basement, the family and Dark surround Towa, who glows on a pedestal. Dark rushes forward and grabs her shoulders when she finds the sword. It showed no sign earlier and suddenly appeared clearly as if it wanted to be found. Everyone agrees that this is obviously a trap, which Dark confidently decides to fall into. Satoshi pulls the last chain off of Wedge of Time and urges Dark to hurry with the painting. Riku and Risa rush through town and see Dark heading in the same direction. Dark lands at the top of a tower; Daisuke’s black painting resonates in his arm. The twins see him from the ground and decide to climb the stairs to watch what he does from a window. Upon breaking the seal on a door, Dark spots the Wedge of Time floating in the center of the tower. The painting and sword glow in response but before the thief can do anything, Satoshi leaps forward and grabs the sword, landing on the floor below. The twins, watching through a broken window, are shocked to see their classmate facing off against Dark. Satoshi tries to reason with Dark but is interrupted by Krad, who causes him great pain before emerging. Trivia * While the twins chat in Riku’s bedroom, one shot shows the latter with brown hair. * Satoshi and Krad’s discussion in front of the Wedge of Time is nearly identical to the one in the manga. Quotes * “The ability of the Hikari family was, after all, a cursed one. The Hikari created many artworks that had magical power. Because their magic was so strong that it could steal people’s minds away and destroy them, the Hikari, themselves, feared them and had no choice but to seal them just like that one… That is the karma of the Hikari family” - Commissioner Hiwatari * “Is he saying that I have to carry the Hikaris’ curse alone? You can’t do it, Niwa. You can’t save the Second Hand of Time.” - Satoshi Hiwatari * “Nobody realizes that people’s feelings, such as love and hate, have magic power.” - Freedert * “It’s true that Dark-san is a phantom thief, but he’s not just some bad thief. Don’t you feel it? Don’t you feel that Niwa-kun and Dark-san have the same brilliance in their eyes?” Risa Harada to Riku Harada * “My ancestors just wanted to create excellent and beautiful things. But that beauty and excellence drew in people’s feelings and before people noticed, they gave birth to magic power. It may be that I want to confirm that not all the artworks created by the Hikari are filled with ill intentions. Isn’t the Second Hand of Time that extended its life in Niwa’s painting evidence of that? When watching Niwa, that thought comes to my mind.” - Satoshi Hiwatari Category:Episodes